2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year odds: Lakers’ Austin Reaves new favorite

National Basketball Association

Published Nov. 29, 2023 2:10 p.m. ET

Following a breakout campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers last year — and a Team USA stint over the summer — Austin Reaves struggled to begin this NBA season.

However, after moving to the bench, Reaves has seen his averages improve across the board. So much so that his odds of winning the Sixth Man of the Year award have shortened drastically since the change.

Reaves opened the season at +25000 to win the award, but his Sixth Man odds currently sit at +300, making him the new betting favorite to win the award.

“None of this is to say that Reaves was a flash in the pan or ill-equipped to be the Lakers’ third option, like they talked about before the season.” FOX Sports NBA writer Yaron Weitzman stated when addressing Reaves‘ early struggles this season.

“What it does mean, though, is that it’s now on him to adjust. Maybe moving him into a Sixth Man role — as the Lakers recently did — and giving him more opportunities to run the show could help him a bit.”

Weitzman’s sentiment has proven to be true, as Reaves is averaging 14.5 points with 5.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 10 games off the bench, which are all improvements over the 13.1 PPG with 4.4 RPG and 4.0 APG he averaged in eight games as a starter.

Can Hillbilly Kobe hold off other bench warriors for the rest of the season?

Let’s look at the latest Sixth Man of the Year odds.

SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR ODDS: *

Austin Reaves, Lakers: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total)

Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks: +350 (bet $10 to win $45 total)

Immanuel Quickley, Knicks: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)

Russell Westbrook, Clippers: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)

Malik Monk, Kings: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)

Caris LeVert, Cavaliers: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)

Cam Thomas, Nets: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)

Bogdan Bogdanovic, Hawks: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)

Chris Paul, Warriors: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)

Cole Anthony, Magic: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total

*odds as of 11/29/2023

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Currently, the Sixth Man of the Year award is basically a three-man race.

At +350, Tim Hardaway Jr. is the second-betting favorite with averages of 16.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and a 54.5 effective shooting percentage. He leads all bench players in scoring and heads a strong second unit that has helped the Dallas Mavericks jump into third place in the Western Conference with an 11-6 record.

If the sharpshooter keeps up this torrid pace and the Mavs keep winning, he will be a favorite of many voters come awards time.

Rounding out the top three is Immanuel Quickley at +400. The shifty, two-way player was a favorite to win the award last season but ended up losing out to the Boston Celtics’Malcolm Brogdon.

Undeterred, he has kept up his stellar play this season with averages of 16.3 points, 3.4 boards and 3 assists. A fan-favorite playing in the NBA’s biggest market, he should be in the mix again amid the awards season.

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